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Online Strategic Communicators Code of Ethics

· Updated · by · 5 min read

Updated September 2026 with how I’d apply this code today, including AI transparency, privacy, and a quick checklist for your team.

Integrity

Online strategic communications professionals should strive to be honest and of good character in all of their dealings. They should never share information that is misleading or false (ASA Code of Ethics). A good rule of thumb is: Would you still be doing what you’re doing if your supervisor was watching?

Accountability

Everything that online strategic communications professionals write or receive via social media or the Internet is public. Regardless of how careful we are in trying to keep our private and public lives separate, it will mix when we’re online. You should act online as you would in any other public setting. Social media is not private - no matter how you set your privacy settings. When in doubt about sharing information online or via social media, consult your supervisor (Social Media).

Excellence

Writing and communication online should be taken just as seriously as it would in print. Everything that leaves our hands will be tied to our names and we should take that very seriously (Social Media). Additionally, we seek to further our specialized knowledge and experience through continued professional development, research, and education (About IABC).

Support Freedom of Speech

We support and understand the Freedom of Speech as the First Amendment to the Constitution. While we may not agree with others’ opinions, we value their ability to have them. We will do our part in protecting freedom of speech online (About IABC).

How I’d apply this code today

I wrote this code of ethics in 2015, and I still stand by all four of these. Integrity, accountability, excellence, and respect for free speech haven’t gone out of style. But the tools we use have changed a lot, and two areas need their own lines now: AI and privacy.

Why? Because the people who follow your organization are trusting you. They trust that the photo is real, that the story happened, and that the details they shared with you won’t end up somewhere they didn’t expect. You are a guardian of your audience’s attention and trust. Wield that carefully.

Transparency: be honest about AI

Integrity now includes how your content is made. Many communicators use AI to brainstorm, draft captions, summarize long documents, or clean up photos. Used well, that frees you up for the work only a person can do. But here’s where I’d draw the lines:

  • Don’t fake reality. Never publish AI-generated images, video, or audio that could be mistaken for a real event or a real person. No packed room that wasn’t packed. No quote your leader never said.
  • Disclose meaningful AI use. Several major platforms now ask creators to label realistic AI-generated or altered content. Use those labels, and when AI played a big role in something, say so plainly.
  • A human reviews everything. The tool is not accountable for what you publish. You are. Check every fact, name, date, and quote before it goes out.
  • Get permission for voices and likenesses. Never clone someone’s voice or put their face into an AI tool without their clear consent.

I wrote more about this in Deepfakes, Misinformation, and the Church’s Responsibility in the Age of AI.

Privacy: protect the people in your stories

Accountability also means protecting the people you’re telling stories about.

  • Ask before you post. Have a clear photo and video policy, get permission before sharing someone’s story, and take extra care with children.
  • Keep sensitive details off the feed. Prayer requests, health updates, and family situations are not content unless the person has said yes.
  • Don’t paste private data into public AI tools. Member lists, donor records, counseling notes, and prayer requests stay out unless your organization has approved a tool and its data settings.
  • Secure your accounts. Use two-factor authentication, share access through a password manager instead of a sticky note, and remove access when someone leaves the team.

A quick check before you hit publish

Put these on a card next to your desk:

  1. Is it true, and can I show where it came from?
  2. Would I be comfortable if my supervisor, and the person in this post, saw it?
  3. Did I get permission?
  4. If AI helped make it, did a human check it, and does it need a label?
  5. Does it serve the people we’re trying to reach?

If you can answer yes to all five, post it. If not, wait.

If you want help writing an AI policy or a social media policy for your team, I help organizations do exactly that. Not sure where to start? Rate your communications and see where you stand. When you communicate clearly and honestly, everyone wins.

References

ASA Code of Ethics. (n.d.). American Sociological Association: Ethics and the Code of Ethics. Retrieved February 20, 2014, from http://www.asanet.org/about/ethics.cfm

Social media. (n.d.). NPR Ethics Handbook. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from http://ethics.npr.org/tag/social-media/

about IABC. (n.d.). IABC: Code of Ethics for Professional Communicators. Retrieved February 24, 2014, from https://web.archive.org/web/20141205114711/http://www.iabc.com/about/code.htm

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to disclose when I use AI in organizational communications?

If AI created or meaningfully altered an image, video, or audio clip that looks realistic, yes. Use the platform's AI label where one exists and say so plainly. For lighter help, like brainstorming or proofreading, a disclosure is usually not needed, but a human should still review and own everything you publish.

What should a communications team's AI policy include?

Which tools are approved, what information may never be entered into them, when AI content must be labeled, who reviews AI-assisted work before it is published, and a rule that no one's voice or likeness is used without consent.

Is it okay to post photos of children on church or organization social media?

Only with parent or guardian permission and a clear photo policy. Avoid posting full names, schools, or locations with photos of minors, and honor any family that asks not to be photographed.

Is social media ever private for a professional communicator?

Not really. Anything you post, even on a personal account with strict privacy settings, can be screenshotted and shared. Act online as you would in any other public setting.